Topic: More Allotments? Government Strategy

[Digeroo]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8440863.stm

More allotments? Well not really just a 'land bank' and temporary availability of land.  Just sounds like spin to me. 

They need to provide farmers incentives for making land available.  Should be a condition of EU subsidies.

Seems one of the highest recipients of EU agricultural subsidies is Tate and Lyle to produce sugar.  So much for controlling obesity.

[Unwashed]

Unfortunately there's almost no mention of allotments in the strategy.

The problem with allotment provision is that it is administered by local government, often at the parish level.  These little councils have all the powers they need to hire or buy land from local farmers at an agricultural rate and create new allotment sites, but they are simply choosing not to, and even though they have a legal duty to provide allotments, it's next to impossible for the average joe to do anything to compel these councils.

[Digeroo]

Our parish councellors are working very hard on the problem but do not seem to be able to persuade any of the local landowners to take part. 

[Unwashed]

They don't need to persuade them.  They (or rather their borough council on their behalf) have the power under Section 39 of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 to compulsorily rent or buy the land.  If they don't have the money to buy the site then they can rent it at an agricultural rent - something like 60p/pole - way cheap enough to recoup through allotment rents.  The question to ask the council - the question many of us need to be asking our councils - is why, when they have a duty to provide allotments and the power to do it at no cost to the tax payer, are they sitting on their hands.

[Mr Smith]

With veg prices rising £1.73 for a cabbage because of the cold spell and farmers struggling to uplift their crops  I think the interest in allotments will not go away, but I've still plenty to go at in the freezer :),